The Inception of Kingman’s Public Artwork Program

Kingman, Arizona proudly celebrates its vibrant artistic culture, lending the city as a stage for artists to express themselves through sculptures, murals, and beyond. Recognizing the need for continued support, the City Council requested a clear plan to foster future art projects. Addressing the request, Kingman Economic Development partnered with ASU Project Cities to develop a comprehensive plan for a public artwork program to bring more visual value to the community.

The Process 

ASU Project Cities solves the university-community partnership puzzle by connecting city employees with dedicated university staff and motivated students. This proactive approach to collaboration offers a clear and centralized point of contact and streamlines engagement. By working together, the partnership drives forward the city’s agenda and simultaneously nurtures students’ skills while meeting their educational needs. The result is a sustainable and impactful change that brings significant value to every community served.  

ASU Project Cities has a strong track record of partnering with communities around Phoenix and Central Arizona. The partnership with Kingman is particularly noteworthy because it’s the program’s most geographically distant collaboration from its central base. The initial phase of this partnership involved creating a public artwork program roadmap with crucial pillars like included:

• Type
• Location/Placement
• Residents involvement
• Funding

With the roadmap established, the partnership moved forward to implementing the resident involvement pillar. The efforts included an interactive town hall meeting held at the Beale Street Theater in February. Next, in March, they developed and distributed an online survey, garnering over 400 responses.

The feedback received from the town hall meeting and online survey is being compiled by ASU students and formatted into clusters of relevance and importance. ASU students will present their findings to the Kingman Economic Development Advisory Committee on April 22, 2025.

Moving forward, the next steps are:

• April 22, 2025, feedback and suggestions presented to Economic Development Advisory Commission
• May 6, 2025, final suggestion plan presented to the City Council
• City Council gives their approval or recommendations
• Economic Development Advisory Commission formulates Kingman’s Public Artwork Program

Visual Value

Once the program is up and running, visual value will be immense. Already a high tourist attraction with Route 66 signage and various hometown artists’ art on display, this project will help increase Kingman’s visual value by boosting tourist numbers and enhancing residents’ quality of life.

For more information on the project, look for updates at Explore Kingman.